Factors of Rowing Ergometer Performance in High-Level Female Rowers

The present study investigated morphological and physiological factors of rowing ergometer performance over 2000m (P (2000,) W) in 70 national and international level [27 lightweight (LW) and 43 heavyweight (HW)] female rowers. Maximal oxygen uptake (V.O (2max) , L.min (-1) ), maximal aerobic power (Pa (max) , W), power output corresponding to 4mmol.L (-1) blood lactate concentration expressed in absolute (PLa (4) , W) and relative to Pa (max) (PLa (4) %, %) values, peak power output (P (peak) , W), and rowing gross efficiency (RGE, %) were determined during an incremental rowing test. In the whole group, P (peak) was the best predictor of P (2000) (r=0.89, p<0.001), as it was shown in men. PLa (4) (r=0.87), V.O (2max) (r=0.83), body mass (r=0.65), and height (r=0.64) were also significantly correlated with P (2000) (p<0.001 for all). P (peak) was also the best predictor of P (2000) when the two sub-groups LW and HW were considered separately. It was concluded that P (peak) is an overall index of physiological rowing capacity in groups of high-level LW and HW female rowers. The predictive value of P (peak) is similar to that of PLa (4) , but P (peak) presents the advantage of being obtained with a simple ergometer test without biological measurements.